Revision of the Public Awareness Strategy on Biomass within the UNDP Project "Reducing barriers to accelerate the development of biomass market in Serbia"
Introduction
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing the Project "Reducing barriers to accelerate the development of biomass market in Serbia" , in cooperation with the Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, where the Ministry of Mining and Energy is the lead partner. The Project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UNDP. The duration of the Project is from May 2014 to June 2018.
The aim of the Project is to support investments in biomass fired facilities in Serbia by developing and successfully launching a Biomass Support Unit (BSU) and implementing a sustainable financial mechanism to support biomass projects which will continue beyond the lifetime of this project.
Numerous Project activities are aimed at improving capability of governmental bodies, municipalities and local entrepreneurs to identify, prioritize and develop bankable biomass energy projects in Serbia. For that purpose, raising public awareness on biomass and its benefits will be a special task of relevant actors within the Project and after its completion. Therefore, the draft Public Awareness Strategy was prepared during the preparation of the Project in 2012. Since institutional and regulatory changes, as well as changes in the Project activities happened during the time from the Project preparation to its launching, it was necessary to revise the Strategy and align it with the Project document and changes that had occurred.
Therefore, UNDP engaged OPTIMUS - Center for Good Governance to revise the Public Awareness Strategy, during the period from September to December 2015.
Public Awareness Strategy
Methodological approach, used during the revision of the Strategy, included the following steps:
a) Research in order to collect information and data on public awareness of the biomass, which would serve identifying and analysing
stakeholders, identifying current situation, and finally, revising the Strategy;
b) Consultations with members of the Biomass Support Unit and the Project partners (Serbian Chamber of Commerce , Standing
Conference of Towns and Municipalities and the Regional Development Agency Srem);
c) Analyzing information and data collected during research and on the meetings;
d) Preparing the text of the revised Strategy and its harmonizing with the UNDP, Biomass Support Unit and the Project partners.
In addition to the description of the context and the current state of public awareness of the biomass use in Serbia, the Strategy provides an overview of the legal and institutional framework in biomass, defines the overall objective and specific objectives of the Strategy, and provides the detailed stakeholders analysis. Moreover, the Strategy provides the description and guidelines for approach in communication and formulation of key messages in the campaign, and it gives the detailed overview of channels and tools of communication. The Strategy identifies institutions and organizations responsible for implementation of its activities, and foresees monitoring of its effects.
Detailed Action Plan is an integral part of the Strategy and it relates to the period until the end of 2018. Part of activities will be implemented through the UNDP Project, while other activities will be the responsibility of the Project partners and other stakeholders, relevant for the promotion of biomass. Detailed Action Plan includes a range of different activities, from the organization of trainings, seminars, conferences, round tables and study tours, through the preparation of brochures, documentary about biomass energy and other promotional materials, to the series of other promotional activities which include electronic, print and internet media.
